Endless Blaze
by Canomon
Summary: The ending story of both my "Flame Trilogy" and my other storyline (which is missing its first story and two of them aren't done). Hope you like it! "Moeagaru yuuki, Fureidoramon!" Ja!


Yes, I know, some one's going to ream me for this: I know that since Gatomon got her Ring back they can't Armor Digivolve or DNA Digivolve anymore. But, let's look at the word `fanfic': `fanatic' + `fiction'. It doesn't have to follow the story line of the show! 'Kay? 'Kay. 

Disclaimer: You know it, and I know it better; I don't own Digimon! I do own Tani, Canomon, all of Canomon's forms, Nariko and her race, and myself. My friend Tirva (a.k.a. Stormdragon) owns Stephanie, Kyatamo, Aephimon, and Akaimon. I'm also making zilch off of this, so don't sue me. 'Kay? 'Kay. On to the fic! 

Returning Blaze 

~ Prolog ~ 

It was Christmas break, so I could stay up late. I pulled up my E-mail and entered the password. One new message from Stephanie. She was an on-line friend of mine. I'd met her not long after I'd returned from the Digital World for the second time. I kept trying to explain to her about Flame. She seemed to believe me, which is more than I can say for most people. It was hard to tell her; like describing a friend of yours so your parents could pick them up at the airport. Physically, it was a tough challenge, but personality-wise was easy. He acted almost like a human at times. I opened the message and read it. 

Hey, Kristi, guess what? I went to the Digiworld! No, seriously. I met Flamedramon. Just like you said, he's really nice. I finally get what you were saying about him looking like a big lizard or dragon of some sort. He says to tell you `hi and not to forget him'. I also met a boy named Kytamo, who's really cool. We both have a Digimon inside us. I know that doesn't make any sense at all. We both have a set of armor, and if we put it on we become a Digimon. I can become Aephimon, who looks a little like Flamedramon with wings, but she's midnight blue with a different pattern to her armor and red wings. Kytamo becomes Akaimon, who looks the same but with opposite colors. He gave me a Promise Feather. I sent you a scan of it. 

I clicked the image link. On my old 56K modem it took forever to load, but it finally did. She had put a piece of white paper behind it so that the dark blue colors showed. If you didn't know what it was, you could've thought it was a bird feather. A pretty shade of midnight, but otherwise ordinary, just like the small crystal I hung around my neck. Just as I was about to write a reply, a blackout stalled all power, including the power to my computer. "What baka hit the pole this time?" I muttered. I peeked out the curtains, and was shocked to see my strange neighbor outside in her P.J.s. 

Okay, so the girl's a little odd. Her hair is done in several shades, ranging from jet black in her roots to light blond at the tips, turning all shades of red and brown in between. She wears nothing but tie-dye shirts and bell-bottom jeans. It didn't really surprise me that she was out at one AM, but the fact that she was holding something up towards the sky scared me a bit. Then, to add to the weirdness, a creature that looked like a pink two-legged dog wearing a white fur coat with purple stripes walked up to her and looked at the sky. It had a bright pink horn on its head. `Is that a Digimon, or does her little brother like to dress up?' 

I glanced at the sky. What I saw nearly made me wet myself. You'd freak, too, if you suddenly saw an upside-down version of the Digital World with some big grey thing spreading darkness everywhere. There were three other creatures, too, along with several smaller Digimon. The smallest was a human-like creature whose pants were like bird legs and who had big Gatomon-type ears. The second was a silver robot with gold trim. The third and largest creature had big red wings and lots of black armor. What patches of skin I could see were a bit like Flame's. 

Slowly, the grey creature dissolved. I watched, fascinated, as the black-and-blue Digimon with red wings took aim at the big blob of darkness and fired his big cannon. I could've sworn his eyes looked like Flame's, but then, I couldn't see all that well. The darkness left, and on the horizon I could see an upside-down Cody helping an injured man. He, too, dissolved, but into a million butterflies of light. They flew away, and the Digiworld regained its color. The power came back on. 

~ * * * Tani * * * ~ 

I stood back and watched the younger DigiDestined talk. It was my duty to guide them, but they did things relatively well on their own now. They were talking about what to do over winter break. I'd raised Veemon, Armadillomon, and Hawkmon myself, along with some help from Canomon and Gabumon, and I thought it was odd that Veemon wasn't hyped about Valentine's Day being just over a week away. I thought he might get a little more excited about candy. "What's with him?" I asked, looking at the small blue dragon. 

"Who knows?" Davis said, then went back to arguing with Yolei over whether dark or milk chocolate tasted better. 

"It'sh her shixteenth birthday," Veemon said. "That'sh shomething shpeshial in America." 

"Who's `her'?" I asked. 

"Kristi," Canomon told me. "His girlfriend he never sees." I squatted down. "I never met her, but she lives in America. She went to the Digital World twice." I rolled my eyes. Love was too complicated for me to bother with. That was my sister's department. Canomon probably understood more about it than me, being the mother of a Foximon who'd gotten a weird Digivolution line in her and was now a Kitsumon. Standing up, I decided we should try going to America. The others agreed after a few moments. 

"Hey! Open up!" a voice on the computer yelled. Eight weird-looking kids with milk-white skin stared at me. The girl yelling at me had lilac eyes and brown hair with golden streaks. She was wearing a yellow shirt. Tani, you had better open this thing! her voice yelled in my head. 

"What are you?" I asked. 

"My name is Tamiko. I'm you and Canomon." I sighed, shook my head, then held up my brown-and-white D-3 to open the DigiPort. The eight kids fell out on top of us. The room I share with my sister isn't that big, and twenty-two humans and Digimon gets really crowded really fast. I squatted on my window ledge. 

"What do you want?" I asked Tamiko. I fiddled with a strand of thread that had come out of my half-cotton, half-silk shirt. It's blue and white with a pattern that looks like water. 

"We're coming with you," she said. "Look, this is really weird, I know. I'm a blend of your DNA and Canomon's data. I can talk to both of you in your minds, and I can read your thoughts." 

"Ha! I don't believe in mind-reading." 

"Well, how else would I know that you are currently wondering when we'll all leave?" 

"Because I don't bother to act like I'm happy to have guests when I'm not." I didn't bother with being polite all the time. Being polite when you don't feel like it is just like lying that you feel good when you're really sick; both get you nowhere. "I'm not sure you can come with us; Imperialdramon isn't that big, and I don't think we're all going to fly. Just because the whole world has seen Digimon now and so many people are getting their own partner Digimon, that doesn't mean airlines are going to start letting bugs and cats and dogs on." 

"I think you'll find us more useful than we look," she said. "Watch." She spat a short burst of saliva at the tree outside my window. I shrugged. Lots of people can spit and hit something five feet away. That was nothing special. She shook her head. That wasn't spit, Tani. It was a powered-down Water Stream. All of us can accurately mimic the attack of our Digimon, without as much power. See Takeo over there? He could easily do Armadillomon's Diamond Shell attack. 

"Who's the red-head? She doesn't look like any of us." 

"That's Nariko. She's the counterpart of Kristi and Veemon, though it was Flamedramon's data she copied. We have to copy the data of the form our human is most familiar with." 

"I met her once before," Canomon said, hopping onto my bed so she was closer to eye-level with us. "Remember that time I went back to the Digiworld alone because you were busy?" I nodded. It had been a couple of months back, but I remembered asking her to watch the new kids for me while I studied. English was a nearly impossible language, what with all its crazy rules and phrases, so I don't know why we had to take it. I don't plan on ever moving to America, so why did I need to know anything other than Japanese? I sure wasn't going to become a businesswoman, either. I actually plan on studying Digimon. 

"Your English may come in handy during our trip," Tamiko said. Why did she have to know my every thought? It's part of who we are. What a privacy violation! You get used to it. 

It took a while to get everything okayed be our parents, but we finally got them to agree. I carried my small navy canvas backpack with some riceballs to snack on and a couple of sketchpads with pencils and my old instant-development camera. I kept my pocketknife - where else? - in my pocket. Imperialdramon didn't like it when I sat down, because my long hair kept tickling him. DNA Digivolved Digimon are always weird. They sound a little like both Digimon, and that can get confusing when the two sound little or nothing alike. Sometimes, it's almost like the two are talking at once, not one creature. 

"Stand up!" the double-voiced Digimon told me for the third time. "That tickles!" I stood up, slowly. Inside him, the sound resonated so much that it almost hurt my ears. I had to hold Canomon, because her feet had fur on the bottoms around her pads. 

"We should be over Colorado now. Kristi's on her way back from vacation, but she got caught in a blizzard, so try looking for a parked van, if you can see it in the snow," Nariko told him. I rolled my eyes. Great. A blizzard. And me in nothing but jeans and a three-quarter-sleeved T-shirt. I'd freeze. I'd freeze for sure. I can only take so much cold. Imperialdramon said he thought he'd seen something; he was going to land to check it out. 

* * * Kristi * * * 

I shook myself out of sleep. The warmth provided by my washable silk pants and jacket was minimal, even over a bodysuit. I was freezing. I looked at my Pocket Pikachu 2's clock. Just past midnight. We'd been stranded here for over seven hours now. The gas tank was still nearly full, but my parents insisted that we conserve gas, and therefore, loose heat. A fwoompft! sound made me look out my window. Something big and yellow-gold rested outside. I tapped the window. What was that thing? 

My six-year-old brother slept in the next seat, his head on the armrest. He kicked out and whimpered, then went back to sleep. Everyone but him in my family either has black or brown hair with blue or green eyes; he has blond hair and brown eyes like a Pikachu, which is where he got his nickname. I shoved his foot off my lap repeatedly until he quit trying to put it there. I was about to turn sixteen. Just one short day. Next semester, I could take driver's ed. and finally get my license. 

Hey, Kristi! I jumped. You're looking at Imperialdramon's claw. Pretty big, huh? Imperialdramon is ExVeemon merged with Wormmon's Digivolved form Stingmon, then Digivolved again. It's cold out here, so don't be shocked when you open the door. The golden claw glowed brightly, then shrank away. Something large and unseen shrank back into two little Digimon who now sat on the hood: Veemon and Wormmon. Unfortunately, the glow had woke everyone else up. 

"What the..." my dad started to say. I hopped out quickly before he had a chance to say more. I didn't care to listen to their arguments over what the two Digimon were. Visibility was limited to around five feet, so I felt my way to the front of the car. The snow crunched under my feet and got into my shoes. Two pairs of Thinsilate socks, a normal pair of socks, and a pair of fat wool socks didn't keep the cold from seeping through. It also got blown into my face, and my fingertips were numb. 

"Kl...kl...kl..." Veemon stammered when he saw me. The little dragon must have been freezing. I didn't mind when he nearly knocked over by jumping on me. The other kids walked up, along with several I didn't recognize. The new kids introduced themselves as friends of Nariko's. She nudged Davis in the ribs and said something in Japanese. I don't know what. Davis then yelled something I did kinda recognize. 

"Dejimentaru Appu!" Well, if I didn't know the words, I knew the effect. Veemon started to glow in my arms, and his small body got so hot I dropped him. The small glowing dragon doubled in hight. 

"Buimon! Armer Shinka...Moeagaru Yuuki, Fureidoramon!" I caught the last part quite well. Even though I couldn't understand the words, I recognized Flamedramon's voice. I hugged him tightly as soon as the white-hot glow left his body. "Kristi-chan..." I smiled. It had been quite a while since I'd last heard him. Even with his entire armor on, he tried to hug me back. It halfway worked. 

"Kristi! Get away from that...that thing!" my mom shrieked, her voice rising in pitch from anxiety. I guess anyone who didn't automatically accept that things were a certain way would freak out if they saw a Digimon. Flame's smile faded. I think that helped a bit. If you didn't know he was smiling, you might've thought he was just showing his teeth to frighten you. It's actually a bit scary 'till you get used to it. Then, you hardly even realize it's not a human you're looking at. 

"Mo-om! Flamedramon is a friend of mine. I've known him for nearly four months. He's not a thing; he's a Digimon." 

"Kristi, who's your crazy friend, and where did he get the costume?" my dad asked. He's a bit calmer, but you could tell the sight of a Digimon was seriously freaking him out. "Or is this one of those people from the nuclear plant?" 

"What nuclear plant? You know I don't know anyone from a plant. It's not a costume, it's armor." I could tell he thought we were all going crazy. I'm the most levelheaded person in my family when it comes to strange occurrences. 

"Let me try to explain," Nariko said, stepping forward. She told them, quickly, everything she knew. Well, most everything. She left out the fact that Flame and I liked each other; they could probably figure that out on their own. My little brother got out just then. 

"Brrrrrr! It's cold!" he shrieked in a little-kid voice. "Hi'ya, mister. Who're you?" I laughed. 

"This is Flamedramon, Pikachu." 

"I'm not Pikachu!" I swear, sometimes that little kid liked to be called Pikachu, and sometimes he didn't. I never knew which it would be. He socked me in the gut. I made a "oof!" sound, but nothing more. 

After all that was straightened out, we introduced each other. Well, Nariko introduced us. She was the only one who could speak both English and Japanese well enough to translate. I met a girl named Tani, who looked so much like me it was scary. She had a stronger build, though, and a rougher tone to her voice. Her eyes were also a richer, fierier shade of green than my own. She knew some English, but not enough to carry on a long conversation. She also didn't talk as much, even in Japanese. I also met seven half-human, half-Digimon creatures like Nariko. But the thing that fascinated me most was Tani's Digimon, Canomon. She was almost like my own dog in nearly every way, but she could talk. Of course, I didn't understand her, but it seemed strange that a dog could speak any language. 

"Why did y'all come here?" I asked. 

"Flamedramon thought it might be a nice surprise." Nariko said. Besides, not many people have the guts to argue with Tani for long. She suggested it because he was acting a little upset about missing your birthday, and since she raised three of the seven Digimon here herself, she likes to look after them. I don't blame them for not arguing with her, though. She's just as tough as Mandy was, only she doesn't quit unless it's called. 

* * * Tani * * * 

Maybe it's her almost identicalness that gives me shivers, but there was something strange about Kristi. She didn't seem to be dishonest or disloyal, but she did seem to be frightened of something. Her eyes were constantly darting around, watching things. They weren't pure emeralds like my own; no, they had secondary colors of blue and gold, and even tertiary colors of grey and hazel-tan. She wasn't what most people would've considered pretty, but you could tell there was something weird about this girl. Like she was hiding something. 

"What..." I started, in English. "What all you scald of?" My voice didn't like the strange language, and it kept softening the Rs. I knew they were extremely hard spoken in America, but my voice just wouldn't obey. I meant to say `What are you scared of?', but it come out wrong. 

"Huh?" Her eyes flickered momentarily, but she never held my gaze. That was one point for her. Staring at some one is just like challenging them, be it to a fight or just a short staring contest. 

"I said, `what's scalding you'? You keep looking alound." 

"Get Nariko to explain it to you," she said quickly, my ears taking a moment to register the words and properly translate them. I nodded. As it turned out, she was just nervous about having her parents around. After all, most people wouldn't want their kid dating some one from another species. That, along with the fact that her parents said she couldn't go out until she was sixteen and could drive, made her extremely nervous. Tamiko hadn't been so far off after all when she'd said I'd find my English more useful than I'd've thought. 

"How do you think this will work, what with them speaking different languages?" I asked Canomon, pointed towards Kristi and Flamedramon. They were sitting downwind of the big sand-colored van, so that there was only a minimal amount of snow hitting them. I used a tree as a windbreak. It helped quite a bit, even though my fingers and toes were freezing off. 

"They don't seem to care about the differences in their looks, so why should they care about how they talk?" she replied. "It's no different than me and Gabumon. Digimon are often hybrids that look purebred." I've got to remember not to let her get into my JKC magazines anymore. She'd picked up more words out of there than you could shake a bamboo pole at. "I know I've got a lot of weird things in me. Gatomon's almost my hundredth cousin. Somewhere way back, all of us share a common ancestor, because we can all Armor Digivolve. You can look at your D-Terminal to see that." 

"Maybe you're not getting enough oxygen to your head, Canomon. We're pretty high in the mountains; I think you're getting delusional." She laughed, grinning her silly open-mouthed grin. At times, she acts like an ordinary dog, not a Digimon. Her tail was wagging right along with her grin, sweeping a curve in the snow. I broke the thin crust on some snow that hadn't been stepped on, then ate a handful of the soft powder beneath it. My fingers froze still more as they got wet. 

I stood up from my crouch and walked stiffly to her van. I fumbled with the door handle, then crawled inside. I was freezing in my jeans and T-shirt, and I knew it. I forced the key to turn, then warmed my fingers in the current of hot air that blew out of the vents. We all took turns defrosting ourselves, until Flamedramon got the hot idea of making a fire. Sometimes, you've really gotta wonder if he remembers that he's a fire-type. I'd hate to be around if he ever lost his temper. 

* * * Kristi * * * 

It wasn't that I wasn't glad to see Flame, but that I was worried my parents wouldn't accept him. I'm not sure I'd be really happy if I had a kid and suddenly I meet some guy who doesn't look quite normal and find out she likes him. It's always been a question of how far away I am from crossing their anger line. I ended up with the weirdest set of genes possible. I look like both of my parents equally, but I act like neither of them. I'm calmer and very much more reserved around people I don't know. They think I'm anti-social, but I just don't walk up to people and say `hi' for no good reason. 

"It's...c-c-c-cold-d-d-d-d," I muttered, jamming my fingers into my pockets. The sleeves of my jacket were a little long, so they covered about half of my hand, but that didn't mean my fingertips weren't getting frostbite. I had lost a lot of the feeling in them. 

"Retsu," Flame noted. "Toukan." I cocked my head. What was he talking about? The weather? I know `retsu' means `cold', but what's `toukan'? I was too cold to worry about it for long, though. I shifted my weight around on the cold van bumper. "Taeru ware goshujin te, Kristi-chan," he said, pulling his left hand out of its armor. I didn't understand. He pointed at my pockets, then made a `come here' gesture. I pulled the lining of my pockets out to show him that I didn't have anything. 

"What do you want?" I asked, knowing he wouldn't understand. 

"Omaesan beki gozairu reitou. Taeru ware goshujin te. Omaesan iriyou atatameru omaesan te." What was with the word `omaesan'? 

`Omaesan' is a way of saying `you' when you care for someone. He's trying to tell you to let him warm your hands up since the fire's so crowded. It was true; I avoided the warmth of the fire since there were around twenty-five people and Digimon trying to get close enough to warm up without burning themselves. I can't stand to be so close to so many people at once. I pulled my hands out of my pockets; my fingertips were bright red from cold, almost purple. He held my hands gently and pushed them down inside his armored gloves. Strangely, there was a considerable amount of warmth inside them. 

"Arigatou, Flame," I said, not bothering with putting an ending. He put his arm around me, holding me up against him. The cold was making me sleepy. I shook my hair out of my face; I'd started leaving it down, and it got annoying at times. 

"Douitashimashite." I smiled. At least he got the message. I knew a few Japanese words, but not enough to make a sentence. I shook myself again; I was getting cold. Freezing cold. I knew it was dangerous to fall asleep in such bitter cold, but I couldn't help it. I stood up, slowly, and together we walked around the side of the van. The wind blasted us hard, but it was a good deal warmer inside the van. Tani was curled up in the driver's seat, her feet on the steering wheel. It was almost funny. 

"I'm tired," I told him. "Oyasuminasai." I wasn't as comfortable in my own world with my parents able to walk up on me at any moment, but I fell asleep without too much trouble. 

* * * Morning * * * 

Well, no one froze that night. Canomon had an awful lot of ice between her toes, but Tani knew how to get it out. Flame De-Digivolved, then Digivolved to ExVeemon while Wormmon Digivolved to Stingmon, who looked like a human wasp. Not the best thing in the world, considering that I'm scared of stinging bugs. Then, they DNA Digivolved to Paildramon, who looked like them both. He also sounded like them both, which was weird. Paildramon Mega-Digivolved to Imperialdramon, who was extremely big. He almost looked like a four-legged version of the large red-winged, blue-and-black creature I'd seen about a month ago. 

"Imperialdramon's strong enough to carry your van. I promise he won't scratch it up," Nariko told my parents. You could see her telling him mentally that he'd be in big trouble if he did. What was even weirder was when we were all inside him. It was almost like being inside Submarimon again, only there was a lot more room. I heard Nariko telling him things in Japanese. She translated it for me mentally. I found out she was telling him the way to my grandparents' house. 

The flight was easy. Landing wasn't. First, he had to carefully set the van down. Then he had to find a place big enough and flat enough for him, which wasn't too hard. When he landed, though, he tipped backwards, then forwards, then sat still and let us out. None of this went unnoticed by my grandma's four dogs and my uncle's chow. The five of them came running out to meet us. 

"Baaaaaaawwwwwrrrrrrllll!" I could recognize Sounder's loud baritone voice over Jake's slightly higher tenor one and Daisy and Little Bit's yapping. Tucu, my uncle's dog, was slightly arthritic and was just walking and slightly growling. They all tried to jump on me. Grandma came out, took one look at us, and screamed, 

"Grandpa! Bring you shotgun! There's something really big out here!" Sandy and Lassie, my brother's year-old pup, came running up to us. 

"It's okay, Gran'ma! It's us!" I yelled. "Good girl, Sandy, good girl." I squatted to pet her. She licked my face and hands. It was still really cold and there was a coating of ice on the ground, but no one would freeze. I looked up and saw Grandpa trying to get a good aim at Flamedramon, who had Armor Digivolved. I took off in a sprint and tried to frantically tell them everything. 

"It's okay, Kristi," Grandpa said. "This thing wasn't even loaded. I just now realized that." His voice was old and thin, but still, it's always a comfort to hear your grandparents' voices. I laughed; yup, that's my grandpa for ya. Everyone else came up to us at that moment. Nariko explained everything more clearly and with more detail. 

"We don't have that many beds. Even with all the couches and chairs, there's not near enough. We do have an old blow-up mattress, though. Maybe that would be enough, if a few people will sleep on the floor." 

Tani said she'd rather sleep outside with the dogs. 

`She would,' I thought with a laugh. Sounder and Jake, who were both skittish around strangers, were both sitting at her feet the way they did with me. "I'm sure we'll find enough space, Gran'ma." 

* * * Tani, that night * * * 

Just like I'd said, I slept outside. What was really funny was when Flamedramon lay down on the leather sofa. He has these small, bony spines on his back, and they made little holes in the leather and let the stuffing out. The thing was really old, though, so that might've had something to do with it. The leather was probably just worn out. Kristi's grandmother had a fit. Nariko translated for everyone. It came out something like, "Giant lizards are not housebroken!" He also ripped a little gash in it when he stretched and caught his blade on the armrest. Now she said he had to pay for it. I wasn't going to bother to tell her that I hadn't know he'd get so big or pointed or I'd've taught him how to watch where and how he sat, because that would bring the blame on myself. 

"What're you two mutts doing?" I asked the two large hounds who were sniffing of my shoes. Obviously, neither of them had ever heard Japanese before, because they sat down and cocked their heads at me. I rubbed the black and white one around his neck like I'd seen Kristi doing. She seemed to know how to handle them better than anyone else does. I'd have to follow her lead until they caught on to my language. 

"Gotch'ya!" Canomon yelled, swiping my D-3 from my belt. "Roo hood brie more cur-full," she scolded, prancing away with it in her mouth. She's a lot faster than I am when she runs, so I didn't even bother to chase her. "Can't catch me!" I shrugged. I knew that, and I wasn't going to play games when I was tired. I sat on the rusted porch swing and pulled the three blankets I'd been given around me tightly. "You're no fun, you know that?" she asked, spitting out the small digital device. 

"I'm tired, Canomon. I'm going to sleep." I rolled over to face the back of the chair and closed my eyes. I could hear other people arguing over who got what. The back door was slightly open, and I could hear them yelling. Through the slats and the lacy curtains, I could see the guys arguing. 

"Davis, the big couch is mine!" T.K. said, whacking him with a pillow. 

"Why, so your hat can have enough room?" More pillow whacking. 

"That couch is big enough for each of you to have half of it," Cody pointed out. "There's no need to fight." He got three pillows. The third one was Flamedramon's, who told him to keep it down. Wormmon had used his Sticky Net and Silk Thread to build a hammock for himself, and two more, one for Ken and one for Yoshi. They were on the verge of throwing their pillows, too. 

Sure enough, there was a pillow fight. Everyone came out of their rooms to join in. It was total pandemonium. I could remember a time when I would've run right into the middle of it. Now, though, I was sneakier. I slowly eased open the door and slunk around behind the couch. Canomon dive-bombed into the middle of them, grabbing a pillow in her mouth and daring anyone else to take it. I was about to tackle a mound of moving pillows that I suspected was Armadillomon when fwump!. I took a hit from behind by Tamiko. 

"I'm the one person you can't sneak up on! I know what you're thinking twenty-four-seven!" she crowed. Why do we say that? Humans and dog-type Digimon and a weirdo mix of the two don't crow! We just don't. I grabbed Armadillomon's pillow and threw it at her. "I have every single skill you and Canomon have ever learned." 

"Then you know what I'm going to do now," I said, diving between two pillow-fighting Digimon. She ended up in the middle of two colliding pillows. "Gotch'ya." 

"What is going on here?!" Kristi's mother demanded, marching in with her hands on her hips in an `annoyed mother' pose. I got some of that through a mental transfer translation from Nariko through the other human-Digimon. They can all talk telepathically to each other, so she translated for them, and they gave us the translation. "What are all you crazy kids doing?" 

"Um, we were having a crazy pillow fight?" Kristi tried, pushing herself off of Flamedramon's legs and tail and spitting a few feathers. "I'll clean it up." Armadillomon tackled her with a pillow. She shoved him off and added, "When we're through." Then she took her dog's pillow and spun to hit Wormmon with it. We resumed our insanity, and her mother left. 

After everyone was tired enough to go to sleep (and Flamedramon had ripped open every single pillow and started using hard leather cushions), she stayed up and vacuumed up every last feather. I think some of them were Hawkmon's. He looked a little more like a bald eagle than a hawk at the moment to me. I fell asleep with the annoying whine of a battery-powered vacuum cleaner in my ears, but it wasn't too loud since the door was as shut as it ever gets. 

* * * 

"Hur-ree-hee-heeheeheehee!" The horse's loud whiney startled me awake. I looked up to see a yearling brown-and-white paint and its mother standing at the barbed wire fence not twenty feet away. The mother was distressed over some odd thing that only she and the baby could see. The moonlight painted everything silver and blue-slate. "Hur-reeeeeeeeeeeee!" The sound struck an odd chord in my head, and I stood up, wrapping my blankets around me. 

"Oh, you. You hush!" I told the horse. I wondered if they would know the universal "Shhh!" sound. Yup, they knew it. They knew it for five seconds. 

"Yurp! Yurp! Yurp-yurp-yurp-yowwllll!" An American coyote! "Yowll-ur-ur-ur-ur-urp!" Okay, two coyotes. I listened. There were probably only three, but there sounded like six or seven. Maybe even nine. I knew the trees would echo, though, so I wasn't fooled. I worked my way through the fence, even with its electrified line, and got a good look at the gleam in the creature's eyes. 

"Water Stream!" Canomon gave him a good squirt in the face. He turned and ran, yelping, towards the tree line. I picked up a stick and shook it at them. "Baka scarredy-cats! Yeah, you'd better run! I'll give you another soaking!" I laughed at her. She was yelling insults that they probably didn't get, in a language they sure didn't get, but she was yelling at the top of her lungs. The dogs all came running out the door at that moment. Kristi and Flamedramon stood there blinking at me. 

"Coyotes," I told them in English. Flamedramon nodded groggily and yawned, showing several white teeth, then leaned on Kristi's shoulder. She laughed and pushed him off. I motioned for them to sit on the bench beside me, pulled my sketchbook out of my backpack, and drew them a picture of it as the canine form crouched in the knee-high dead grass and ice. I pointed to her younger dog. "Looked like Lassie," I told her slowly, trying not to accent the words funny. 

"Coyotes," she said, pronouncing it `kai-yotes', not `kai-yo-tees', revealing her faint Southern accent. My English teacher had tried to teach us the dialects, too, not just the language. She smiled a faint smile, as if it were unnatural, when Flamedramon fell asleep on her shoulder. I rolled my eyes and shook my head. 

`I might as well take his old couch,' I thought to myself. `It's obvious he won't be using it.' I shook my head again. Sighing sleepily, I walked inside, leaving them two of my blankets. I flipped the cushions over so that I wouldn't be hitting rough edges all the time, then curled myself in a tight ball so Canomon could have her half of a seat. She opted to use my feet instead of the now-shredded armrest for a pillow. 

* * * Kristi * * * 

I smiled to myself and sighed. One of the adults would find us out here, curled up in our sleep, and start getting ideas. It would be worst if it was my uncle, because he would never stop teasing me for the rest of my life, and best if it was one of my grandparents, because they knew I could take care of myself. They were the only people, it seemed, who realized I was sixteen today, not six like my brother. I didn't get much privacy, so the time was welcome. 

"Uhhhhh...mmmm?" Flame moved in his sleep, wrapping his arms around my waist. Of course, this pinned my own arms, and made me squirm a bit. I got my arms free, then wrapped the blankets around us. My sleeping outfit was a red T-shirt with a bald eagle that read AMERICA in big white letters and a pair of checkered silk boxers in varying shades of red. My legs were nearly freezing in the cold, and my bare feet were worse. 

"Isn't this supposed to work the other way?" I whispered, noticing the way he'd gotten his head wedged under my chin. I couldn't move for fear of poking myself with the little spike that came from the back of his long blade. I leaned over against him, remembering how to rest my weight since I was in a different position than normal. "Silly." I ran my fingertips from the small yellow triangle behind his eye to the little folds of skin at the back of his head. They were cartilage, unlike the spines on his back, so they weren't very hard. 

I watched the sun rise off in the east in a warm golden color. The light was buttery in appearance but cold still clung to the air. The icicles on the roof dripped a bit. It was a little warmer than it had been yesterday; winter was loosing its grip. Sounder pushed his black nose into my other hand for me to pet him. Then Jake came and pushed him out of the way. They started to scuffle, nipping each other's ears and tail. Lassie hopped up on the seat and pawed her way under a blanket. Sandy sat down between my feet. I smiled and rubbed the side of her ribs with my toes. 

Darla and her yearling filly were grazing out in front of us. Miche, the other mare, was swishing her tail at her father Joe as if there were flies on him, even though it was too cold for flies. Cherokee, the oldest stallion, was drinking from a hole my grandfather had poked in the ice on the water trough. There were a few cows up by the other fence like they expected to be fed. I wondered if it occurred to them that we'd had one of their calves for hamburgers last night. `Probably not,' I thought. `Cows are stupid like that.' 

"Mpft..." Flame mumbled in his sleep. "Ffftt...burr..." All I recognized was the last part. I tugged on the blanket and pulled it tighter; I was a little bit cold myself. I almost wished this would last forever, that is, until my stomach gave a huge growl. Then, I wished my grandpa would get up and make some bacon. It was a little too cold. I sighed and rubbed Lassie's ears. Sandy had gone to sleep, and I gently walked on her back, both to warm my feet and because she liked it. Lassie rolled over and started to try and chew on my hand. 

"Lassie vicilous," I said, adding an L to the word `vicious'. "Quit it, pup." She was just over a year old; both her and Sandy's birthdays were in November. `That makes Sandy seven now, not six,' I realized. `She's getting old. I hope she has a small dog's life span.' She's a mutt; her known breeds are smooth collie, also known as a shorthaired collie, whippet, and basenji. I'm very sure there's more. Lassie is a terrier mix. We just don't know what exactly the `mix' part is. I traced the black V on Lassie's shoulders. She reached around to nibble my fingers again. 

I smiled, then jerked my head back as Flame raised his. He hit my chin hard. "Gomen, Kristi-chan," he mumbled. I laughed softly, the hoarse sound harsh in my throat. I grinned. 

"I smell bacon!" The dog's ears - all four pairs of them - perked up with the word `bacon'. Sandy and Lassie put their pepper-black muzzles to the crack in the door. I stood up, dancing with the cold, and shoved the door open. Flame followed me, holding the blanket around his shoulders almost the same way I did. "Bacon!" I yelped, seeing the plateful of red and orange, fatty, greasy bacon. Grandpa was still cooking at his grill. 

"Thought I'd make a little extra since we have comp'ny," he said, grinning a toothy, old-man grin. "You can eat it now or wake everyone else up -" 

"- And have to fight over it? Come on, Gran'pa, you know me better than that." I laughed. "Bacon," I told Flame, holding up a piece of it for him to see. I stuffed it in my mouth; Grandpa breaks it in half so it's only a few inches long. Flame picked up a bit and looked at it. 

"Bay-khan," he said, accenting my own accent. That's probably the only thing he's ever said in English before. He licked his lips and pointed at it. "Ka?" he said. `Ka' is a Japanese word you put at the end of questions. I don't know why he would say it alone, but he seemed to be asking if he could have more. I nodded and picked up four more strips, then sat down at the table and ate them. He copied me, seemingly because he didn't know anything else to do. "Bay-khan ii." 

"Yeah, it's pretty good," I agreed. "C'mon, we'd better wake everyone else up." I sicked Sandy and Lassie on the other kids. They got right up in their faces and licked them. Tani was the only one who didn't freak and make a `grossed out' noise of some kind. "Wait'll Gran'ma sees that," I said, pointing at the three spider-webby hammocks hanging in one corner. Tani laughed, obviously remembering how she'd reacted to her couch being ripped open. Her laugh was even lower and gruffer than my own. 

* * * Tani * * * 

I ate as much of the rust-colored meat as I could get my hands on, then drained the eighth of a jug of milk. It was pretty good, actually. I watched everyone from a seat on the floor beside two little blond mutts. They were crawling all over my lap. I pulled them up and sat them on my shoulders, trying to get them to settle down. "You little stinkers," I told them, the odd words making them pause. "Sit still." They went back to chewing my hair, the discarded wet clumps sticking to my face. 

"Kristi, I heard you had a pillow fight last night," a man's voice said. Tamiko told me about half of what he'd said. Having a creature that knew two languages and could pass messages along without anyone knowing was useful. She gulped visibly and nodded, tightening her grip on the edge of the seat. Flamedramon put his hand over hers, but the movement was so slight that I'm sure her father couldn't see it from his angle. "Come with me." She stood up, slowly, her every move showing a great amount of fear. 

"I'm coming," she said, her voice cracking. I didn't need anyone to tell me what would happen. It was so visible to an experienced person, what with the way she followed him outside at a snail's pace and the way he kept messing with the buckle on his belt. The door slammed, and I could hear him talking in a low tone. Nariko openly translated it. It was all about respecting other people and how much of a disgrace she was, along with bits of how he wouldn't be seen with a daughter who loved a strange-looking lizard. Digimon that had tails to twitch twitched them. Canomon's ears were visibly down and back, her annoyance with this man's ideas clearly showing. 

"I'd better stop this before she gets a beating she doesn't deserve," Nariko said. "I can't really feel the pain itself, but I know what it's like. I know it's supposed to hurt." I nodded. I, too, knew the pain of leather against my back. When I was little, my dad had been considered lost at sea after a storm, and my mom tried to date some man who drank a lot. He'd hated me with a passion, and always came in at five in the morning to wake me with a stinging blow or two to my back. I still have a few faintly pink lines crisscrossing it. 

"Let me go, too, then," Flamedramon said, standing up. "This is probably mostly my fault, anyways; I should be the one to fix it." They walked outside, and I followed them to the door. Everyone else suddenly remembered they had someplace to be and left. I watched as Flamedramon blocked a belt aimed at her back, then took the thing from him. Nariko gave him an earful, as my mom would say, with our respective human-Digimon translating it mentally. She basically gave him his speech back, but with little tweaks. It was something about how he had no respect for his own daughter, and how it was his fault she never got to be very friendly, and also about being prejudice. 

She's being so bold because she knows he won't hit anyone but Kristi, Tamiko told me. Weird, isn't it? I nodded, faintly. I was more interested in watching than discussing. Then, Nariko switched to insulting him in Japanese. 

"Bakabakashii jiji!" I laughed. She'd just called him a stupid old man, yet he stood there and looked at her, not getting mad or anything. Kristi was slowly backing away, fearfully, because it was obvious she knew what that meant. 

"You're in very big trouble, Kristina," he said. Tamiko told me that was her full name, and that it was never used unless she was in trouble. She turned and ran straight toward us, running with a look of pure and total fear. It's very rare to see someone so frightened that they don't even bother to look at you. She turned and bolted down a hallway, I suppose to her bedroom. Flamedramon followed her, but more slowly, at a brisk walk rather than a flat-out run. I backed away, not wanting to be anywhere near her father when he lost control of his temper. 

"I need to use the bathroom," I muttered. I walked down the hall to the bathroom, but found that Kristi had locked herself inside. Flamedramon was worried that she might've hurt herself, yet he didn't want to break the door. There was a large crack between the carpet and the door, and I looked under it. She had her back turned, and was leaning against another door. I figured she was crying and didn't want anyone else to know. "She's not hurt, just scared. Leave her alone for a while and she'll be fine." I left to find another bathroom, because I had to go, and there's no shame in that. 

* * * Kristi * * * 

I'm not sure how, or why, but Nariko and Flame kept me from getting hurt. I never felt the sting of a belt across my back. I'd never even gotten a chance to change; now, I'd wear a couple of layers of denim, since that seemed to block most of the pain. I sat and leaned against the linen closet door, and waited for my tears to stop. I don't know why I was crying, but I couldn't seem to shake the awful feeling of worthlessness. I wiped my eyes, and they got wet again. At least my nose didn't run like a little kid's. 

"Kristi-chan? Doushita ka?" What did that mean? Did he want to know what was wrong, or if I was okay? I'd heard him and Tani talking, but she never said much. I wiped at my eyes again. They got wet again, though less this time. I moaned softly, the sound barely audible. I dried my eyes with my sleeve and stood up. My vision blurred and my head swam. I felt lightheaded. After a moment, the feeling left, and I could stand without leaning on the sink. 

"Flame?" I asked, opening the door. He smiled with his mouth slightly open, like he wanted to say something but didn't know what or how. I hugged him tightly and leaned against him for support as the lightheadedness came over me again. I went and changed into a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt with a denim jacket, then came back. "Let's go outside." I pulled at his arm 'till he followed me. We went out the back door and walked around the house to the horse pasture. Nariko, Tani, and Tamiko were all bridling horses. Tani didn't bother to wave at me. She hoisted herself up, bareback, onto Joe, the younger stallion. 

"I'll ride with Tamiko." I nodded and pulled myself onto Cherokee's back, sitting calmly. Nariko had a bit of trouble, since Miche is kinda skittish, and she's not used to being ridden double. Cherokee, however, gave us an even bigger problem when Flame tried to get on him. I suppose he's never seen a dragon, and certainly never been ridden by one. 

Then, we all raced around the pastures at a fast canter. Cherokee's old, older than me, but he's a real fast horse. Joe doesn't like to run, and Tani had to give him several `encouraging' taps. Flame didn't know the first thing about riding a horse; in fact, he knew more about being a horse than riding one, because of Raidramon. We slowed down to a gentle walk. I took the time to reposition myself, since nearly getting pinched in half had thrown my balance. Sandy and Canomon both came running out to us, Sandy yapping in a rich alto, Canomon silently. 

After a couple of hours, we got tired and almost hungry. The horses got their oats, and then I went and got a brush after Cherokee. He liked it. Not to be outdone, everyone else went and got a brush. After that, we let them back out to their own pasture. Darla squirted her filly with water from a melted puddle, who squealed a horsy squeal and pranced around. We went back inside and I complained that there was nothing to eat. 

"You're right, there is nothing," Nariko agreed. She was standing straddle-legged, an after-effect of horseback riding. I laughed, and checked the 'fridge. Nope. Nothin' in the pantry, either. At least not that I wanted. I considered eating the dog's food, but decided against it. It probably tasted worse that Triscuts. Yuckies. We were all really bored, but we couldn't stage another pillow fight. We took turns playing Wallpipe on my uncle's slow old computer, but it was boring, and not everyone could see over everyone else's shoulders. 

Tani muttered something and left with Canomon, Sandy, and Tamiko. Nariko, Flame, and I followed them. We had nothing better to do. We all sat outside, bored out of our minds, when Wormmon came bouncing out. Nariko mentally translated that Ken had gotten to level seven, farther than anyone else by far, before he wiped out. Tani rolled her eyes at him, as if to say, `So?'. I laid down on the cold swing, my feet hanging off one side. I was really tired, and I closed my eyes. 

* * * Tani * * * 

We all ended up falling through a portal. Those things show up just when you need them, because I was bored. It was just the seven of us, though. "Oh...ouch!" I moaned, sitting upright. "What...? Where are we? This isn't the Digital World." 

"You're right, it's not. This is the Dark Ocean, you idiot." A tall girl, about my age, was standing over me. She wore a pair of blue jean shorts and a silk blue spaghetti-strap shirt. Her hair was short and brown, pulled back into a high, if rather short, ponytail. Her green eyes looked alive with fire and electricity. She was tanned extremely dark, not just faintly like me. 

"I'm no idiot, you idiot," I snapped. I stood up and brushed the grey sand from my pants, which I had rolled up partway. Looking around, I noticed that there were several people and Digimon that resembled our own group, but different. Next to the girl in front of me sat a Virus Canomon with black fur and peppered brown markings. There was a girl in super-short shorts and a green fake alligator skin shirt that only covered her front since it tied in the back and at the neck. At least, I think it was fake. Beside her stood a dog, which looked like Kristi's, only her nose and ears were white, and her feet and chest were black. A strange-looking Flamedramon with black skin and blue armor stood back, already looking like he was ready to face the real one. Another girl wearing blue clothing with blue hair and pitch-black skin was standing beside a similar dark-skinned girl, looking smug. "Who are you?" 

"We're you, stupid, only better. We don't have your flaws." I snorted. Looks have absolutely nothing to do with how good you are. It's your personality and your abilities that determines your place. "We're also stronger than you. We're better in every way possible." 

"Mind proving it?" I challenged her. I knew several very effective moves for displacing joints and severely injuring an opponent. But, if what she said was true, then she knew them, too, just like Tamiko. We fought hard, not caring about the other twelve people fighting. I got a hold on her arm that was painful, as I came away with a small bit of her skin. I spat it out, then tried for a second grip, this time harder. I was flipped over, though, and I felt a searing pain as a small gash was ripped down my calf. I quickly rolled my paints down to prevent that from happening again, but she took the opportunity to kick me several different ways. 

"Weakling," she said. "That dragon you raised is faring better than you, even though his opponent can attack from a distance and he can't." 

"Digimon aren't humans," I growled. Her arm had quit bleeding, revealing a black, metallic substance. "Neither are you, apparently. You're nothing but a control spiral; a fake intended to look real." 

"At least I'm not weak!" 

"Well, then, I can attack you without fear of destroying a real creature." I'd never attack a live human or animal or Digimon with my full power unless they were threatening my life at that moment; so far, she hadn't done anything, but control spires aren't alive, and I could fight a fake. I fight for sport, not for blood, but she obviously had none. Just a simulation, probably syrup and food coloring. I fought with all my might after that, never holding back on a single kick or punch. I jabbed repeatedly at her breastbone and ribs; those were tender points. The pain of my hand colliding with hard metal covered only by a near-real synthetic skin and muscle proved to hurt more than a bone hitting a bone. She struck back with equal force, and evaded as many attacks as I did. This would take a while. 

* * * Kristi * * * 

I watched my double, or rather, my negative, as she punched repeatedly with a form that rivaled Mandy's. Mandy had been the greatest sparer at my karate school; now, I had met someone with an equal amount of power and speed. And she frightened me more, because Mandy would stop if you were injured too badly. I doubled over; she had hit me with a well-aimed power-punch to my diaphragm. I backed up more and more as I tried to evade her jabs and thrusts. Each kick and punch made me move another few steps; I was always on the defensive. 

I backed all the way into a cave. I continued to back up until my foot hit a ledge. It was dark, so she didn't notice the slight slip as I turned it into a sideways roll. Her kick that was intended for my head missed and left her unbalanced. I kicked her other foot out from under her, and she then realized that we were fighting on a ledge; the loser would probably go over. As she sprung back up, I gave my best hookkick to her head, snapping it to the side. "Ow! Why you little..." 

"Now you know how I felt." I popped my foot back into a quick, well-executed roundhouse. It caught her in the mouth, and she bit my worn sneaker. I yanked my foot up and brought my hand down to meet her forehead in a backhanded punch. I pulled my foot back forcefully, then snapped it back to a front kick that sent her over the edge. I stood and listened. She didn't fall far; I could see her lying on a ledge, trying to push herself up. That was the first time I'd fought an equal and come out on top. It felt good to feel the rush of victory. 

Turning, I walked back to the entrance. Flame and his double negative were battling. He blocked a Fire Rocket, sending it flying into the roof. The hot flames hadn't hurt his hand, but the roof wasn't so lucky. It started to cave in. "Kristi, move!" I sidestepped as a rock the size of a bowling ball dropped right where I had been. The Virus Flamedramon bolted out; he wasn't quite as stupid as he looked. "Look out!" I moved again, this time more slowly; my gut was cramping from being hit. The rock was bigger, and it narrowly missed my shoulder. He jumped to the side as a smaller rock fell in his place. Dirt hit the top of my head, and I stupidly looked up. It got in my eyes, and I couldn't see. 

"Oomph!" I gasped as I was knocked onto my back. The rock grazed my leg, and I realized it was Flame who had saved me from being a pancake of the worst kind. I saw a large rock the size of a Volkswagen beetle dropping on us, and squeaked out a sound of pure terror. Luckily, the rock by my leg was taller then we were thick, and it stopped the slugbug-sized rock from crushing us. I closed my eyes; the large rock would protect us from any more rocks. Slowly, the rumbling and falling and crashing stopped, and I peeked around. It was pitch black. "Flame?" 

"Mm?" 

"Are you okay?" 

"Yeah, pretty much. I think my tail's pinned, though. And I can't move much." 

"There's not much room," I said, putting my hand up past his shoulder. The rock wasn't more than an inch away. "You slide left, and I'll slide left, and then maybe I'll be able to breathe." Here's rule number one of being able to breathe: anything heavier than yourself must be below you. It's tough to breathe in a cramped space, and it's even harder if there's a dragon on you. We moved, my lungs welcoming the extra space. I took an extra-deep breath, then relaxed. "That's better." I rolled onto my right side a bit, so that I could try and see him. My eyes should've adjusted, but there was no light to be had. I couldn't see, so I extended my fingers instead like a blind girl. I felt him twitch. 

"Don't poke me in the eye." He was strangely calm for being trapped under boulders. I was calm because I liked small dark places - they offered comfort - but I didn't think he'd be so relaxed. I wondered if he was really scared of suffocating like I was and just being calm for my sake. I lifted my hand and felt, gently, of the rock above him. It was rough and lower than my side. I rolled completely to my stomach and folded my arms under my face, supporting my head. 

"Aren't you scared?" 

"Of what? The dark? No, it's been dark before. I don't mind. The rocks pressing down? No, they won't fall anymore. It's being reconfigured I'm afraid of. That's why I fight so hard, to avoid it. I've never been reconfigured, and I don't know what it'll feel like." 

"I don't know, either." I blinked, though I only knew it from the feeling of my eyelids hitting together; there was no difference in light levels. I couldn't tell him what it'd be like; I wasn't a Digimon. 

* * * Tani * * * 

Our doubles were defeated. They dispersed into the data that makes up control spires. We then noticed that Flamedramon and Kristi were missing. Nariko said they were trapped under a cave-in. We started to dig in the rubble around the cave. I hoped they were at the front. I decided to yell and see where they were. "Hey!" 

"Hey what?" came the muffled reply. 

"Make some noise," Canomon said. 

"Like what?" 

"Talk," Tamiko told her. 

"What should I say?" 

"Anything," I told the voice. It was Kristi; her loudness was unmistakable. "Say whatever." 

"Whatever whatever whatever whatever," Flamedramon repeated like an idiotic parrot. 

"She means whatever you feel like, not repeat whatever!" 

"Ow! What was that for?" 

"For saying 'whatever' over and over." 

"Well, it hurt." 

"Sorry. You were just getting on my nerves." 

"That fast?" 

"I have a temper." 

We dug them out pretty fast. Kristi noticed the blood that stained my pants and asked what had happened; I told her it wasn't any of her business. She seemed to buy that. I held it off the ground; it was really starting to hurt. I rolled my pants up and pressed my hands against the gash. It hurt terribly, and the pressure I applied didn't stop the flow of blood. "That's gotta hurt," Canomon said. 

"Naw, really? Of course it hurts!" 

"It's not too bad. Probably won't even need stitches," Nariko said. Kristi agreed slowly. Tamiko didn't look so sure of it. Well, whether I needed it or not, no doctor was sticking a curved sewing needle through me. I wouldn't let him. 

"Let's go back," Canomon suggested. Sandy sniffed at my feet, then licked my fingers like a dog should. I expected her to be at least a bit concerned about any injury; most dogs were. It took both Nariko and Tamiko to open a decently sized portal. 

* * * Kristi * * * 

I got Tani to hold a moist towel over her leg while I heated water. I knew she could stand it extremely hot because it's a Japanese tradition to take very hot baths, so when the water was almost cool enough for me to dip my finger in, I added goldenseal and a few drops of lavender oil. I took the water off the burner, sat it on a potholder, and stirred until it was well dissolved. I figured she could tolerate it now; the hotter the water, the better the treatment would work. I poured it into a basin that was deep enough to cover the open wound, then had her put her leg in. The heat would close it, but the goldenseal and lavender were what would keep it from getting infected and scarring over badly. While I let her soak, I tended to everyone else. 

I'd only received minimal injuries, but some others weren't so lucky. Sandy had several bite marks across her legs; her back flanks had been attacked especially viciously. I used some of the leftover goldenseal water to wash the bites, which weren't very deep, and wrapped the worst ones in gauze. She licked my sweet-smelling fingers and found that the goldenseal was very bitter to the taste. Canomon was in similar condition, but she was also wet, so I went and got a towel to wrap her up in after I was done. No one else had too much wrong with them, aside from a few minor cuts or bruises. 

Tani was starting to sweat pretty bad, so I had her take her leg out of the water and dry it off with a soft rag. I gave her the gauze and tape, and, to the best of my ability - and with a lot of help from Nariko - told her how to wrap her injured leg. The rest of the DigiDestined came in and looked at us, almost laughing at us at times. 

We had my party that afternoon. I got a new charm for the charm bracelet I rarely wore, a cheap scanner that probably didn't work too well but was good enough for my purposes, and Paintshop Pro 9, the latest program. I had six, but it was old and out dated. That was just from my parents. I got a pair of jeans and a few shirts from my grandparents, too. My cake wasn't anything special, either. Just plain angelfood cake with well-made vanilla icing. Luckily, it was pretty big, so everyone got a good-sized piece. We had Imperialdramon fly us back to my house in Magnolia, which is close to Houston. 

* * * The Next Day * * * 

It was Wednesday, so we had church that night. Everyone came, and I mean everyone. I wasn't sure Cody was old enough to be in our youth group, since everyone is supposed to be in sixth grade or higher, but I didn't feel like trying to tell everyone where to go. We were in the middle of preparing for the "We Care" campaign where everyone would go out doorknocking in groups of three or four, which I wasn't too excited about, so I wasn't exactly paying a great deal of attention to Mr. Rick. In fact, I was in an open-eyed state of sleep. I enjoy church - it's one of the highlights of my weeks - but I don't consider knocking on strangers' doors fun like Nikki. She was way over-excited about everything, and this was no exception. 

After church, I sat on one of the car's bumpers and watched the guys playing basketball. T.K. said something to them, and Heath, a.k.a. "Health-Food-Bar", passed the ball to him. I assume that's what he thought he wanted. He shot it and made a near-perfect off-the-rim basket. Davis tried to out-do him and completely missed the backboard. It was funny, but I held my laughter. I bit the small flaps of skin inside my cheeks to keep from bursting out. Basketball was a game that required no words, and for a few minutes at least, the language barrier was broken. Veemon tugged on my thick velvety pants, but I didn't know what he wanted, if anything. 

It was a bit of a challenge to get everyone arranged in my house, even with a foldout bed in the couch. The girls were in my room - with the exception of Yolei, who was in the hallway - and the guys were in the living room. Sandy and Lassie were both on my bed, but Sandy got off the moment I squirmed. I fell asleep after a while. 

* * * 

I stood up, looking around the landscape and blinking. I felt a presence behind me, and turned around. A youngish guy, around my age, but he was strange looking and, at the same time, strangely familiar. His hair stood up on its own, the way some guys' hair does, but it was blue with bright yellowish-gold tips. His ears were just like Flame's, long and thick and tapered, and he had the same small folds of skin where his ear and jaw met. Then, protruding through a red headband and splitting the yellow V on it, he had a long blade that resembled Flame's. He also had a tail in the same manner. Only his ears and tail were blue; the rest of him was a tanned skin tone. His shirt was red and yellow, with a fiery pattern, and if it was cut off at one point it would've left the four curving flames that showed on Flame's torso armor. In fact, he looked a bit like one of those anthromorphs of Pokémon that people sometimes draw. 

I backed away, and staggered. I felt an instinct rise in my mind, and my own tail shot out from it relaxed position to balance me. 'Since when do I have a tail?' I wondered. I looked over my shoulder, and sure enough, there was a bright blue tail sticking out from my butt. But, it was paler in color than the other kid's. I saw that my clothes, too, were lighter than his, and that my long brown hair was now long and blue with the same yellowish tips. I felt of my ears, and found them the wrong shape. What was I? What had happened to me? 

* * * 

I squeaked as I woke up. That small sound alerted Veemon, who had obviously not been asleep. He walked into my room, jumped up onto my high bed and looked at me. "Kristi-chan, doushita ka?" he asked. I sat up, shook my head and smiled; I was certain now that 'doushita' meant 'what's wrong?'. I hugged the smaller creature against me. After a bit I noticed that he was asleep from the slower, more rhythmic pattern of his breaths. Not knowing what to do, I laid back down and let him lay across my lap. I'd probably get a talk from my mom in the morning - I think my dad was scared of him now, even in a smaller, less threatening form - but I didn't really care at the time. 

* * * Tani, Morning * * * 

I forced myself up and straightened my hair a bit in front of Kristi's mirror. I didn't care that I was a bit messy looking, even after running my fingers through it; I wasn't using another person's brush. She'd probably refuse to use it again if I did, anyway. My clothes were a mess, but I didn't care about that, either. I noticed Veemon asleep on her bed and woke him up; I didn't feel like listening to another one of her parents' 'talks'. The other girls, along with Ken, Cody, and Yoshi, were awake. All the girl's Digimon and Wormmon were up, too. I ate a cereal bar for breakfast. 

We basically had a boring day. Sometimes we'd go outside and jump on the trampoline, but it was too cold to do that for very long, and only about four or five people could jump at once. The real excitement came that evening, when Nariko announced that she had found an add in the paper for a free outdoor concert with professional dancers. I didn't think anything of dancing, but I could listen to music. Even foreign music. It didn't matter, so long as it wasn't whiney and scratchy. 

Our Digimon Digivolved to their flying forms, since the outdoor theater was in a downtown park, and that was way across the city. Did I mention that there is a great deal of pollution in the air over that city? I coughed and sneezed and choked the whole way there on Nefertimon's back. I don't think anyone else was in any better shape; I know Canomon wasn't. It was worth it when we got there, though. The amphitheater stage was set low, and then there was this hill that everyone sat on. We chose to land at the base of it on the other side and walk up to the top, where we could see and hear better. If we'd been too close, I think it would've hurt our ears; they blasted the people that were up near the stage. 

* * * Kristi * * * 

About halfway though the concert, I noticed the family of five that was about ten yards or so away. Two girls, their brother, and their parents. The younger of the two girls was messing with a compact and rummaging through her purse. The boy was trying to sing along, but it was painfully obvious that he didn't have a clue what the lyrics were. I squinted, wishing my eyes were better, and half-wondered if the older of the girls was related to my friend Stephanie. She looked a bit like the picture of herself that she'd sent me. 

Close to the end of the concert - about ten-thirty, I guess - they had some lady come out and stole the mike from some idiot who was trying to tell jokes while the equipment was being fixed. I suppose it had overloaded or something. Maybe it was all planned, though. Some companies will pull stunts like that. She looked around - though it was impossible to tell the expression on her face - and said into the mike, "Our equipment has been fixed, thanks to our on-site technician and no thanks to my stupid friend over there who thinks he's funny. We thank you for your patience. As our apology, we will now give you the chance to dance by turning out our stage lights and playing slower songs. Thank you." The lights clicked off, and you could hear a scream and a thump! as some poor person fell over in the dark. The stars provided plenty of light by my standards, though. A few people stood up; most of them were in our group. 

I looked at Flame, who was standing up and looking around like he was confused. "Don't tell me you know how to dance; I know you don't." 

"I think everyone thinks it's over," Nariko laughed. Why don't you show them it's not? 

'Because I can't dance, either,' I thought. 

So? You've watched other people slowdance, how hard can it be? 

'You go first. See if you're brave enough to start dancing on your own.' She shrugged and stood up, just as the music started. She walked over to Hiroshi and said something to him. He shook his head and said something I didn't understand. She looked at me, shrugged, and said something to him. He nodded and laughed. Flame tapped my shoulder and held out his hand. I don't know why he had bother to get Davis to Armor Digivolve him, other than that this was his only form that was anywhere near my size. I looked at him and stood up. "Don't step on my feet," I warned him jokingly. I leaned against him instead of supporting my own weight. 

I enjoyed myself for a bit, hardly even noticing when T.K. and Kari started to dance. I closed my eyes, trying to block out everything but the secure warmth of Flame's arms around me. I listened for anything familiar. A friend's voice, a van motor, or my parents yelling at me. I was pretty sure they didn't know where I had gone, but you never know. As the last song ended, I pulled back and looked around. The oldest girl from the family I'd seen was looking at me hard, like she thought I looked familiar. "Kristi?" she asked, walking up to us. I nodded. "I recognized Flamedramon, so I thought you were, well, you." She laughed nervously. I invited her over to my house the next day. Her family was on vacation in Houston, so their two shelties were very cramped even in the pet-friendly hotel. I thought they'd enjoy running around my yard and playing with Sandy and Lassie. 

* * * Epilog * * * 

Well, it's been twenty-five years since those days. I'm married now, and we've got two kids. Their names are Naien-Dramon, my daughter, and Yuuki-Dramon, my son. Oddly enough, it's Yuuki who's the calm and intellectual one; Naien runs around like her insides really are on fire. It still feels weird to write "Kristi-Dramon"; I guess it's the hyphen thing. Anyway, Flame and Davis have gone into the ramen noodle business together. I guess it's useful to have someone who can start the cooking fire that fast. Other times, it's not so useful, and he has to revert to Veemon to keep from scaring customers. Some people are scared really easily. 

I'm sure you heard about Gabumon being the first Digimon in space. Well, when he's not floating around in space, he's in his cave with Canomon. I suppose you could say that they're married, too, though I don't think Digimon have the same ceremonies as humans. They have four kids: Kitsunemon, their Champion daughter; Canomon, their Data-type son; Kitsumon, their younger son; and Foximon, their little girl. Tani is a Digimon artist-slash-raiser. She normally draws the Digimon she raises; right now, it's a BlackAgumon that follows her around. I think he's the same BlackWarGreymon that caused so much trouble back in '02, but Tani won't tell me for sure. She helps me train Naien and Yuuki, because they're human-Digimon crosses, and some people might want to pick on them. Sometimes, we all go to one of Davis's noodle carts and get half-price noodles. She also goes to Kari's kindergarten class at times and gives demonstrations on Digimon, their attacks, and their evolution. 

I sent my mom a picture of me and Flame after our wedding; I'm not sure what she thought since I didn't let her find out where I'm living. Besides, I don't think the Digital World has any kind of postal service. I wore a semi-long white T-shirt with a white belt and white pants and white shoes. I still don't like dresses. In fact, I told Sora, who is one of the older DigiDestined, that she wasn't aloud in because she was wearing a dress. She decided that a kimono would have to do. It's been fifteen years since that picture was taken, and ten years since Naien and Yuuki were born. They Digivolved like Digimon, and their first two stages resembled Digimon, but the stage they're in now - Rookie - is more human than Digimon. Their names didn't change, though. 

Oh, and Sandy? She's still around, though you wouldn't recognize her. See, when she got to be around fifteen - I think that's when it was; my memory of that time is bad - the Digital World decided I needed my own Digimon. Well, somehow or another, Sandy was reconfigured into a Canomon. There wasn't too much change, other than the fact that she now talks until she can't breathe. I guess fifteen years is a long time to wait to be able to say anything. Lassie became my brother's Labramon. The colors of their fur are a bit different than other Digimon, I suppose because of their unusual origins, and they still wear their collars, but they're our Digimon. 

Stephani and Kyatamo are grown, too. I always have to keep glancing up, because their Digimon forms can fly, and every once in a while they seem to find it funny to sneak up on me. It is a bit amusing, but after a while getting scared out of your mind gets old. 

I'm happy with the way my life has turned out. Flame is back from work now, and Naien and Yuuki just pounced on him. I'm gonna go see about how business is doing. If it's good, I'll go get half-price noodles tomorrow and then help work; if it's bad, I'll go buy some at full price. The bad thing about working there is, I still don't know much Japanese, so I never know what's being ordered. I just keep the fire going and hope they know what they're doing. Well, so long. 

- Kristi-Dramon 

October 6, 2027 


End file.
